


Signs of Dreams, Blood of Rainbows

by GrayDayofDoom



Series: The Wars of Alternia [1]
Category: Homestuck
Genre: Alternate Universe - Renaissance, Kingdomstuck, Magic, Multi, War
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-08-27
Updated: 2016-08-27
Packaged: 2018-08-11 07:25:26
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,994
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7882075
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GrayDayofDoom/pseuds/GrayDayofDoom
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Feferi Peixes is the crown princess of the land of Alternia. All sorts of people live in this land, where magic is real, and kingdoms rule. From bards, to wandering knights, to witches and everything in between. Chaos abounds, and a war is on the horizon. But things are also becoming chaos within the reaches of the kingdom. Things are going to happen, and very, very soon.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. First, There Was Peace

Feferi Peixes, crown princess of Alternia, gazed out the window as her instructor droned on and on. Her mother, known to all her people as the Condesce, had assigned her some tutors so she would learn just how she was supposed to act when she was queen. But Feferi hated it. She just wanted to go and spend time with what friends she had. And swim. Oh how she loved swimming. She didn't get to go very often, as she always had some form of princessly duties to attend to.

Feferi's daydream was suddenly interrupted by a whack upside the head as her instructor frowned at her. With a sigh, she went back to her studies. Hopefully something interesting would happen soon, to disrupt the monotony of the day.

\---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Gamzee was sitting in a tavern not far from the castle, listening to the talk of everyone around him. The tavern was called the Skaia Tavern, and Gamzee was there often, both to preform and drink. Today was no different, but his show didn't start for another couple of hours. He was sitting by himself, but in the middle of the tavern, so he had a good view of most of what was going on. Today was one of the busier days, with farmers and scavengers and all other people coming in to buy and sell their wares. As the bard's eyes wandered through the faces, they landed on someone who's face couldn't quite be seen, as the stranger was sitting in a dark corner, their face covered by a hood. The figure shifted, and the dark teal colored fabric of the cloak slipped into view. Gamzee grinned, knowing at once who it was. Grabbing his half-full tankard of ale, he pushed his chair back, stood up, and strode over to the shadowed figure, taking the chair across from them, and sitting down.

"Terezi Pyrope, Royal Assassin of the Queen, always making sure justice is served. Come in for a drink, or to just sniff around and make sure I'm not up to any touble, hmm?" The assassin lowered her hood, staring at the bard with blind, cold eyes.

"Why, fancy seeing you here, Makara. Wasting all your money, when you could be doing so much better than singing a few songs to some drunken idiots who think a cat's wail is a good tune, which sounds far better than any tune I've ever heard you play." Gamzee glared at Terezi, which only made her smirk. "One point for the assassin, Makara. You need to step up your game."

The bard rolled his eyes, then leaned back in his chair, propping his feet up on the table. "Pyrope, why are you here? It's obviously not for some songs or a drink." Terezi stared at him for several minutes before finally answering. 

"Something... is going on. In another kingdom. None of the messengers have said anything good about it. But no one can find anything on what exactly it is." Gamzee gave a quiet whistle. "Not even Nepeta?"

Terezi shook her head. "Not even Nepeta. I was told to tell you. Others are receiving the news as well. Which "others", I'm not sure. I'm just here to give you the news."

Gamzee snorted with derision. "Let me guess. The Condesce told you to tell me. Even after I left and told her I would have none of her games. I'm a bard for a reason." With that, the bard stood up and walked away to talk with some other people who frequented the tavern, leaving Terezi to stare in the direction he had gone. The assassin sighed.

"This is why our kingdom is failing. Too many views, not enough support... It's time for this to change," she said to herself, before quietly getting up and making her way to the door and disappearing into the crowd outside.

\------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Kanaya Maryam, royal seamstress in the Condesce's castle, sighed as yet again her stitches ended up crooked.

"Your Majesty, would you please stand still? It's causing me great trouble that you aren't. This dress must be finished in less than three weeks time, and I still have much to do." The princess gave a resigned sigh and tried to stop moving.

"I'm sorry, Miss Maryam, but this dress is itchy! Why do I have to go to every little ball, anyways?" Feferi complained. Kanaya looked up at the princess from where she was seated on the floor, pausing in her hemming of the dress.

"Because you're the princess, and it's expected of you. Besides, if you don't attend, your mother will throw one of her fits, if you pardon me saying so." Feferi looked down at the seamstress and sighed.

"I suppose you're right. But it isn't much fun." Kanaya studied the other girl, before getting back to work. "Well, don't you like dancing? You always talk about those two young men who constantly ask to dance with you." Feferi looked down at the seamstress, blushing slightly.

"Well, for one, I'd rather swim than dance. I feel so awkward! My feet never seem to go the way I want them too. I always look like a fish out of water. And those young men have no interest in me, other than the fact I'm the princess." Kanaya raised an eyebrow, but said nothing. She finished hemming the dress, then stood up and walked around the princess, checking her work. She sighed. 

"You can remove the dress now, Your Highness. I suppose we're done for the day, as it doesn't seem you can keep still much longer." Feferi blushed bright pink at that, but stood still as Kanaya helped her remove the dress, being careful with the fabric. Several minutes later, the seamstress watched the princess leave, then sighed. She loved her job, but she didn't quite know what to think about the princess. To Kanaya, she seemed naive at times, but then, everyone had their faults. The seamstress then turned her attention back to the dress she was holding. Only three weeks left until the ball. Or at least, it was supposed to be. 

\----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 

Dave Strider waited to be let through the castle gates, looking around. People were everywhere, so he assumed that this was one of the market days in the city. Unless it was always this busy. He couldn't be sure. Suddenly, the caste gates creaked open, and Dave's attention went back to the entry to the castle. As he strode through the gate, he realized that many would mistake him for a knight. Yes, he was dressed in armor, with a red cape, and used the title of a Knight, but he really didn't feel like one. Knights were heroes. Dave was just a wandering warrior. He wasn't a hero. Some people he'd met were heroes. His brother was a hero, having fought in the huge war and had helped save the king of his old kingdom, but Dave wasn't. He refused to think of himself that way. 

The warrior was lead into the Castle and through the halls, until they reached the throne room. Here, he was to meet the Queen. The attendant stood at the doors to the room and looked the warrior over, and after receiving a nod from Dave, he opened the doors. Dave walked in, taking note of the room. The carpet that led to the throne was a dark pink, edged in gold thread. The throne itself at first looked simply made, but upon better inspection showed to be carved with many things, both words written in a strange language, and pictures depicting great battles and awing quests of bravery. The warrior stopped a good distance away from the Queen and knelt, his eyes focused on the bottom step leading up to the throne. 

"Rise, young knight." Dave winced slightly at the title, but rose, and looked at the Queen. The Queen, or Condesce, as she was called, had long, black hair, which seemed almost as if it couldn't be tamed. Her clothes were simple, for someone of her status, but elegant. The crown atop her head was not gaudy and covered in jewels, either. The Condesce looked at the warrior from head to toe, a small smile on her lips. 

"Well, Sir Knight, why have you come here to my Kingdom?" Dave looked steadily at the Queen before answering. 

"I'm here to see if I may be of any service to you and your kingdom, my lady." The Condesce stared at him for what seemed to the warrior hours, before she answered. 

"I see. Well, then. We shall see how well you fare here in Alternia, before seeing if we can apply your services to my kingdom. " Dave bowed once before replying. "Thank you, my-" He was cut off as the doors to the throne room slammed open, and a tired looking young woman dressed in green ran in, running straight to the throne. "Your Majesty, I come bearing news." The Condensce stood up almost instantly, a mixture of surprise and concern on her face. "What is it? What news to you bear, messenger?" The Queen demanded, but got no further, as the girl in green suddenly crashed to the stone floor.


	2. Second, There Was Tension

Equius was in the stables, talking with Tavros, who, as the head of the stables, was brushing down one of the many horses, when a messenger arrived bearing the news. The Captain of the Guard turned and looked at the messenger, concerned. The messenger was shifting from foot to foot, and refused to look at the Captain.

"Spit it out, then." Equius said impatiently. The messenger kept his eyes on the straw dusted floor of the stables as he finally said the message he carried. 

"The Queen has sent me to tell you that, regretfully, Nepeta Leijon, member of the Royal Messengers, has been put to rest in the Hospital wing of the castle, as she has been poisoned." As soon as the messenger finished, he darted out of the stables, quickly fleeing. He didn't want to be the one to face Equius's wrath. The Captain stood there, quietly processing what had been said. Suddenly, a look of pure rage flashed across is face, and as Tavros ducked out of the way, his fist slammed into the stone wall behind them, causing some of the stones to crack.Breathing heavily, the Captain stared at his hand for several minutes, before turning his gaze to the stable master. 

"Regretfully, I must leave. I do apologize." With that, he strode out of the stables, before breaking into a run, heading towards the castle.

Tavros watched him leave, then looked at the stone wall. "That's the third time this week he's done that..."

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Karkat Vantas, a knight at the castle, looked over the wandering knight. He had a good build, at least. And he seemed to be able to use his sword well enough. But how well could he fight against an opponent? The two, along with a few other knights, were in the practice yard, working in full armor. Karkat finally called Dave over.

"Let's see how well you can do in a sparring match." The wandering knight raised an eyebrow. "Against who?"

Karkat rolled his eyes. "Against me, of course. Nooo, I'm going to put you up against one of the other, older knights, who've been here longer than you've even been alive, just so I can see them hand your butt to you." Dave snorted.

"Fine, fine." Another knight came over, to act as referee. "On the count of three, you two."

Both Karkat and Dave took their positions, but everything ground to a halt when almost everyone in the yard saw Equius running to the castle. Karkat called out to him, as the Captain of the Guard wasn't far enough away that he couldn't hear them. Equius stopped long enough to run over and explain, his expression grave.

"Nepeta was poisoned." He said quietly. Karkat's expression went from confusion to shock.

"Wh-what? You mean.... oh, god. She.... oh, that stupid cat girl..." Everyone could tell Karkat was frustrated. He couldn't even finish his sentences. Dave looked back and forth between Karkat and Equius, more confused than anything. 

"Who's Nepeta?" He asked quietly, while Karkat muttered to himself. The Captain was the one who answered him.

"She is one of the Queen's messengers. The best of them, really. She's the one who travels the most. She's always known there were dangers." Dave nodded, but asked one more question before the Captain turned to leave.

"Why is everyone freaking out about this? I mean, I've heard there's been wars in other kingdoms, but it sure hasn't reached here yet." Equius stared at the wandering knight, figuring out how to answer.

"The war hasn't reached here yet. But it is drawing close. And... and many of us here, we've all grown up together. So it doesn't do well when one of us gets gravely injured." With that, he ran back to the castle. Karkat stopped talking to himself and looked at Dave.

"You know, there's something he left out of that. Yeah, we all grew up together. 12 of us did, anyways. We've added a few more over the years. But Nepeta and Equius have been together the longest. Nepeta is his little sister." 

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Rose Lalonde, resident mage in the castle, was standing over the bed that Nepeta was laying on. A few others were hovering nearby, and Rose couldn't concentrate at all. There was only so much she could do, but everything the healers had done just wasn't working. With a sigh, she turned to everyone else in the room.

"Out. Now." Everyone scrambled for the doors. Nobody wanted to get on the bad side of the royal mage. Bad things had been known to happen. Once, she'd turned another mage halfway into a dog. The effects were permanent, but both had eventually forgiven each other, and in fact, were now good friends. She turned back to the smaller girl laying on the bed, using her magic to see what was wrong.

Rose frowned as she realized there was no wound that she could see where the poison could have entered her bloodstream. That meant it had probably been ingested in some way. Using her sight, she saw the poison, black and deadly, coursing through the messenger's veins. The mage raised one hand, deciding to try the best course of action, when she heard the door creak open. Turning, she saw Kanaya halfway through the doorway, a look of concern and fright on her face.

"Is she..." The seamstress began, but Rose cut her off with a shake of her head.

"Not yet. But close. I can't do much more than put her in a state where she won't wake up. Only she herself can fight off the poison." Kanaya walked up and looked at the small figure on the bed.

"Poor Nepeta.... When do you believe... she'll wake up again?" Rose sighed and turned to the seamstress, a sad look on her face.

"Only when she's ready. And that could be longer than a year or more." Kanaya covered her mouth with one hand, an appalled look on her face. "But what will.... oh, no..."

Rose averted her eyes, and went back to working the spell that would put the messenger into a deep sleep, where Nepeta would stay until she chose to awaken again.

\-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The news of what Rose had been forced to do was taken to the Condesce by a very nervous messenger. The Queen had given the order that once there was news, she was to receive it right away, no matter where she was, or who she was with. And so it was given. The messenger cited off what he had been told to. Rage was obvious on the Condesce's face, but Feferi was in tears. Eridan Ampora, one of the princess's few close friends, and her advisor, was doing his best to console her.

"She wasn't able to tell us what she found..." The Condesce's expression had gone back to being completely calm, but it was obvious to everyone in the room that she was still exceptionally angry. She glanced at the messenger.

"You may leave. But." The messenger, who had been on his way out the door, stopped mid-stride. "Y-yes?" He stuttered, fearing the Queen's wrath.

"Take the news to the Captain of my guard." The messenger shuddered, but left, closing the door behind him. The Condesce turned back to the game of chess that she and Feferi had been playing before they had been interrupted. 

"Feferi, it's your turn." The Queen got no reply. Aggravated, she turned, only to see her daughter in a puddle of tears, with Eridan trying in vain to calm her. The Queen snorted, before rising from her chair and walking over to the large picture window. The room they were in was in one of the larger towers, so she had a good view of some of her Kingdom. They weren't too high up, but it was enough.

The Queen looked down at the practice yard on the ground beneath her, and watched as the knights sparred. The Strider boy was doing exceptionally well against Karkat. The two were almost a perfect match in strength and speed. A thought flashed through her mind, and the Condesce threw the windows open, and shouted down to the yard.

"Sir Vantas! Sir Strider!" Both knights stopped instantly and looked up at her. The Condesce smiled, her eyes flashing.

"Go gather supplies. You're going on a trip." The two knights glanced at each other, before Karkat shouted up to the window.

"Your Majesty, what are we to do?" 

"Bring me Sollux Captor."

Karkat sighed and rested his sword against one of the practice dummies. "And if he refuses?"

The Condesce raised an eyebrow, and saying the words that, sadly, Karkat expected to hear, before closing the window.

"Kill him."


End file.
